Book 2 – DFMan Recap

Michael’s second year at Michigan began not with triumph, but with pressure from every direction. He was no longer simply the boy from northern Ontario who had found a place on a college hockey team. The media followed him now, reporters waiting outside Yost Arena with cameras, students whispering when he walked into class, professors half-impressed and half-skeptical of how he could juggle school, hockey, and modeling. Headlines mocked him as the “fashion model athlete,” until John, a loyal teammate, stepped forward and defended him publicly. Even then the weight lingered. The Water twins and Stephanie were gone, a bitter memory, leaving Michael more isolated than ever, and loneliness settled like a shadow even in crowded rooms.

Calvin Klein modeling sessions were scheduled and Michael planned, in his limited free time to fulfill them. Michael has learned to guard himself against the industry’s constant temptations and games. To Michael, modeling was never about fame—it was a burden he bore to help others, although the money helped, not something he craved.

The story shifted when Michael traveled to Jamaica for a photo shoot. He needed a break, and the island seemed as far away from Ann Arbor as the moon. He stayed at an exclusive resort, where every corner was filled with honeymooners or wealthy vacationers. For once, he hoped anonymity would find him. He noticed a goth teenager, Rachel Daley, wandering along the beach and observed a group of Spaniards being rude to the staff. What should have been a peaceful week unraveled quickly.

Bianca Castile, the daughter of Alphonso Castile, Spanish Duke, rejected suitor, Rodrigo Perez. Rodrigo did not take the rejection well and acted arrogantly toward Bianca and her friend Maria. Bianca barks at Rodrigo and cuts him down further enraging Rodrigo. Rodrigo catches Michael smirking at his plight and exchanged heated words. Duke Castile has had enough and orders Rodrigo to return to his parents in Spain immediately. Rodrigo does not return to Spain and instead hired one group of men to attack Michael and another group to kidnap Bianca and Maria with the intent of violating them.

The plan was ugly, but Michael reacted the only way he knew how—by fighting. He broke free from the four island men sent against him, using sheer instinct and the martial training drilled into him. Battered but unbroken, he raced toward the shouts where Bianca and Maria struggled, and he brought the same fury against their would-be captors. When Rodrigo himself strikes, Michael faced him directly, landing blows that ended the ambush. In the aftermath, he shielded Rachel, Bianca and Maria, refusing to let them be seen as victims. Duke Alphonso Castile praised Michael’s actions and secured consular protection for all of them. But the Duke also used the dishonor of the attack as a reason to indefinitely pause the pending mega Commonwealth deal, citing insecurity and disgrace. What Michael saw as survival became a pivot point in international politics.